New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) is an annual Oscar-qualifying film festival founded by Eric Beckman and Emily Shapiro in 1997 "to support the creation and dissemination of thoughtful, provocative, and intelligent film for children and teens ages 3-18.
"[1] In addition to the annual four-weekend event in March, the Festival presents year-round programming and filmmaking camps in New York City, satellite festivals in Miami, FL and Westchester, NY, and a touring program[2] at independent theaters and cultural institutions nationwide.
Screened over the course of four weeks at venues throughout NYC, the Festival program – narrowed down from roughly 2,500 international submissions – consists of approximately 100 short and feature films, filmmaker Q&As, retrospective programs, parties, and premieres.
The New York Times' "Growing a Generation of Movie-Loving Global Citizens" highlighted NYICFF's 2023 festival.
Winners of the Festival's juried prizes are eligible for Academy consideration in the Best Animated and Best Live Action Short Film categories.